Oregon has the second-highest rate of hungry people in the country according to the USDA. Last week, Sarah Hackney of The Ripple Blog reminded us of the dire statistics associated with this issue, the systematic ramifications of hunger and the role the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) plays as a stopgap measure.
There’s an interesting conversation to be had about the root causes of hunger in Oregon… Like other symptoms of poverty, hunger stems from a complex set of issues that compound one another. A family living on the edge of poverty must balance rent, vehicle, child care, health care, and food costs, and if anything happens to upset that balance – an accident, getting sick – folks are left scrambling to meet their family’s needs with limited financial means. Access to a local food pantry can be crucial for families in need looking to keep food on the table.
More and more nonprofits like OFB and its statewide partners are looking to combine emergency food resources with self-sufficiency skills like home and community gardening, gleaning, and cooking, and to truly end hunger, we must address the broader issue of poverty itself.
But in the meantime, emergency food providers like Oregon Food Bank provide a critical stopgap to these folks in need.
Calls to 211info for hunger issues have dramatically increased.
211info has seen a dramatic rise in hunger related calls. People calling for food stamps and food boxes/meal sites jumped from just over 12,000 calls in the 2007/2008 fiscal year to more than 18,000 calls in 2008/2009. In addition, we continue to see these callers requesting other necessary services. In January almost 72% of people calling for hunger related issues also requested referrals to other services (with the largest portion of this group asking for government assistance in other areas such as WIC and TANF).
This is all to say: hungry Oregonians need our help. Sarah’s call for action in her blog post sums it up nicely.
From February 15 to March 15, Oregon bloggers are participating in an effort to support the Oregon Food Bank in its mission to feed everyone in Oregon who needs a meal. OFB and its state network of over 900 partners is now distributing record amounts of food to families impacted by the current recession.
The simplest way to help is to donate directly to OFB. Join me in donating to the food bank here, on OFB’s donation page. When it asks who you’re giving in honor of, say “Blog for Food.” Short on funds? You can always contact your local food pantry as a volunteer, or donate food directly.
If you or someone you know needs food please call 2-1-1 or 1-800-SafeNet.
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Thanks for passing the word along! The rise in hunger-related calls you document underscores the need to ensure folks are able to get the food they need.